Lightsabre
by Pokey1984
Summary: Three vingettes that revolve around a family heirloom. [Completed]
1. Part one: Padme

Lightsabres

Part one.

Padmè

She fingered the sturdy metal cylinder without picking it up. The grip was smooth and the tiny switch a bright red, the color of danger among all species that bled in that color. She was surprised to note that she could not completely conceal it beneath her hand. _Funny, it looks so small when he's holding it._

He was in the fresher. Taking a shower. She remembered when such a concept had left him gawking at the expense of such a thing. Now, it seemed, he came close to taking such luxuries for granted. Or perhaps not, he was always very methodical about his showers. Hence the sabre. For as long as he'd been a jedi, or as long as she'd known him as one, he'd always left his weapon on the end table when he showered and when he was asleap. Otherwise he never let it leave his position.

She wondered briefly how much Obi-wan's constant reprimands had to do with that. Anakin never let the weapon out of his sight, yet, acording to Obi-wan, this was his eighth one. He'd only been training ten years and he hadn't been allowed one until he was thirteen. From what she'd been told, most Jedi only ever owned one, sometimes two lightsabres in a lifetime. Padmè had to admire this, since she was unable to hold on to a pair of earings.

Daringly, Padmè wrapped slender fingers around the cylinder and lifted it from the table. It was heavier than she'd thought and she tightened her grip to keep from dropping it. Sitting back on the bed, she opened her palm and ran the fingers of her other hand along the length of the electronic hilt. It warmed quickly to her touch and for a moment she thought she cold feel her husbands touch on her fingers. She looked up and he was standing in the doorway, watching her.

Not sorry or ashamed, Padmè met his gaze and realized he was looking at her with curiosity, not irritation. Knowing he wasn't upset, she was suddenly willing to explain herself, though she wasn't sure what her reasons were. "I know I'm not supposed to..."

Anakin shook his head with a smile. He walked across the floor and settled on the bed next to her. With his arm around her, he cupped both her hands in his left one. "I trust you, Padmè," he said sincerely. "I trust you to be careful or I wouldn't have left it there."

Padmè shifted the weapon to his large hand, her curiosity satisfied for the moment. "I just feel like there is a part of you I don't get to know, I don't get to share. Most of the time I don't mind, I don't even notice. It's just a part of you. But sometimes, because of that, I feel like I don't know you at all, like maybe I never will."

Shifting his hands slightly, Anakin put the sabre between his palm and hers. "Well then," he began"I should help you know that part."

He took both her shoulders in his hands and turned her slightly so he was facing her back. "Do you trust me, Padmè? Trust me totally and completely?"

After a moment's pause, just to reassure herself of the answer, she said "I do, Ani. I trust you."

"Good, I want to show you something. Just relax. I don't know how well this will work, I've never tried it with anyonebut Master Obi-Wan and that is _not_ the same."

Giggling at his emphasis, she closed her eyes and let her mind drift like she was waiting for sleep to come. His hands trailed up her neck, one warm and calloused, the other hard and cold though both moved with the same cautious care. Fingers trailed up the side of her face, then back down. The motion was repeated over and over and soon it became hypnotic. With no other distractions, she felt her own mind focusing on her husbands touch.

After a moment her focus shifted and she was gradually aware of him sitting behind her. The bed filed her inner vision, then the rest of the room. The images weren't clear, however. It was like she only caught glimpses here and there. She reached out for the fleeting image of her husband and heard him whisper,

_Shh, just relax. I won't let anything hurt you._ Only she was positive she hadn't heard anything. Then the whispers came, like a million voices speaking at once, telling her things she could almost understand. Vague suggestions of ideas probed at her mind and Padmè started to shy away.

_Stay still, we aren't there yet. Don't worry, everything will be okay. I want to show you something. I think it will help._

Padmè took a deep breath and let Anakin steer her, taking in what she saw and felt but not trying to understand it yet. She had been totally honest when she said she trusted him and was going to prove it. Gradually, the voices died away and one, clear, musical note rang out softly. As more notes joined that one and blended together, Padmè was able to make out a distinct melody and she had the sneaky suspicion that it was never the same twice. The sound wove a visual pattern of colors and lights with a soft white blending them all together into an orchestra. She felt totally and completely calm for the first time in her memory and couldn't help but ask a question.

_Ani, what is this?_

She felt his smile. _This is the Force, the way I see it. It is a little different for everyone, but this is what I feel. Everything you've seen, that was all part of the Force. The first part, with all the images, I sense that almost all the time now. The next part, with the whispers, that is where I go to ask for help or guidance. This is where I go to find calm when I can not find it within myself._

_It's beautiful!_ She exclaimed, reaching out with one hand, careful not to shift too much on the bed. The color strands twisted about her questing hand, caressing her gently and responding to her touch.

_We should go._

_Why? I don't know why you would ever want to leave this._

Laughter filled her thoughts and in this peace and calm, she wanted to join in. _I don't know why either. But you are going to have terrible leg cramps when we get back to ourselves. You've been sitting for nearly three hours now._

_But we've only been here a moment!_

_We've been here more than two hours._ He chided softly. He took her shoulders again and mentally steered her back to herself. She had the sudden realization that her eyes were closed and quickly opened them, only half expecting to see their bedroom. Disappointingly, it was, indeed, her bedroom she saw. Turning, she embraced her husband tightly

"Thank you will never be enough!" she whispered into his hair, though it felt as if she were shouting.

"I've wanted to show you for a while now, but I didn't think I could do it well enough until just the other day." Anakin stroked her long hair gently while rocking her back and forth. "I love you so much, Padmè. I have loved you since the beginning of time. I will love you until time ends."

Padmè sat back and picked up the lightsabre from where they had left it on the bed beside them. This sabre he'd had for over a year now, since Geonosis. It looked like he might keep it for a good long time. Padmè was glad, she liked this blue one better than she'd liked the green one he used to have. The blade was the same color as his eyes now. She held it out to him and he accepted it, but not without caressing her hand as they passed the item between them. "I understand now."

"I am so glad, my angel. I am so glad."


	2. Part two: Leia

_**Authors Note:** Thanks go to **REV042175** for pointing out a formating error. I have fixed the problem in both Chapter one and this update. Here's your gold star for today. _

Part two

Leia

He was in for a final check-up. The two one-bee had declared him almost healed a week ago and Luke should emerge with a clean bill of health today. Leia had been left in charge of his possessions while he was occupied. The sensitive equipment did not like anything metallic in the medical tent, so Luke had left most everything with her. It was only three months since the battle of Yavin. They had moved four times already and were searching for a place to call home.

Ordinarily, he'd have left these things in his quarters or his locker, but they had neither at the moment. This tiny base was nothing more than a way-stop. They would only be here another two days and they were staying in tents, sleeping in shifts. What few long term possesions any of them had were in storage on their freighter. Only the things one couldn't live without were on planet. For Leia, that meant the small briefcase full of holos and datachips that was currently in the command tent. For Luke, aparently, it meant a utility belt full of gear. Leia fingered one gadget after another on the belt. An ancient pair of macro binocs. A blaster, something she'd only recently convinced him to carry. Some assorted tools that she knew fit all the parts on his X-wing fighter. Coming to the last item before the buckle, Leia froze, her fingertips barely touching the cylinder.

Most of the time, Luke was refreshingly naive. His openness and honesty was charming and Leia loved the fact she never had to wonder about him. Most of the time. Sometimes, on some things, Luke was as dark and mysterious as anyone else. This final item on his belt was one of those topics. According to Han Solo, the lightsabre had belonged to Luke's father, who was a Jedi before the clone wars. Apparently, Luke hadn't minded discussing the lightsabre, the Force, or why he left home until General Kenobi had died. Now all three were dead topics.

Unfortunately, the old pirate hadn't paid any attention when Luke was willing to talk so he wasn't much help to Leia now that she wanted to know about her friend. She fingered the weapon, lifting it guiltily off it's hook. She slid down and sat on the ground, settling the heavy belt on her lap. She'd never actually seen one of these before. Just this particular item, and only then from a distance.

Now, she realized it was much heavier than it looked. Grasping it with both hands, the princess examined the smooth metal cylinder carefully. She took note of the tiny red switch set in the side and the tiny dent on the edge of the base, like it had been used to hit something hard. The metal at the bottom of the tube had been melted once by some extreme heat, then smoothed back out. The repair was almost perfect, but Leia couldn't help noticing the tiny, tell-tale marks that betrayed the repair.

The hilt, which had seemed cold at first, quickly warmed to her touch and Leia felt as if the very metal was producing heat in response to her actions. A moment later, Luke settled in front of her on the ground, staring at her hands. Looking at him guiltily, she said, "Luke, I didn't... I just..."

Infuriatingly and soothingly, he smiled at her. "It's okay, Leia. I trust you. I wouldn't have left it with you if I didn't."

Luke reached out and took both Leia's hands in his own. "What were you thinking about?"

"I was curious. I've never seen one before. It's heavier than it looks. And it's, I don't know, warmer."

Smiling at her, he let her roll the hilt between her fingers. "It's been that way since I got it. It's always warm to the touch. I don't know why. It might be the Force, a trace impression left on it by it's previous owner."

"Your father." Leia said matter of factly. Luke nodded.

"You never talk about him."

"I never knew him. I didn't even know he was a Jedi until a few months ago. Ben gave this to me just before I left Tatooine. It's the only thing I have of either of my parents." Luke's admission startled the unflappable princess. Yes, she'd been prying, but she hadn't expected Luke to open up.

Prompting him, Leia continued. "You lived with your Aunt and Uncle, right?"

"Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen. They were the only thing holding me to Tatooine. When they died..." Luke trailed off. The princess understood and he knew it.

"I suppose it doesn't matter how you lose your family, your ties to your past. When they are gone, they're gone."

Luke sighed and nodded his agreement. He smothed his thumb over the 'sabre handle, still not letting go of her hands. "I don't even have anything to remember them by. Just this and that only brings up bad memories. Uncle Owen never wanted to talk about my father. I still don't understand why. Now he's dead too and I may never know."

"At least you know something now. You have a starting point to find out about your father."

Snorting, Luke dropped the princesses hands. "No, I don't. In fact, I have even less chance of finding him now than ever. When he was just a pilot on a spice freighter, I might have tracked him down. The Empire has erased all traces of the Jedi. There is no chance anymore."

Still enthralled by the device in her hands, Leia was listening to Luke, but not looking at him. She still couldn't believe she was holding a lightsabre. Weapons had been forbidden on Alderaan anyway and with the death sentence out for all Jedi, she'd given up all chance of ever seeing one in use.

For a farmboy, Luke was more perceptive than anyone gave him credit for. He smiled and lifted the weapon out of the princesses hands. "Would you like to learn how it works?"

At the expression of pure greed on her face, Luke laughed. "I'll take that as a yes. Okay, stand up." Leia did so and Luke stepped behind her to correct her stance.

"Spread your feet a little more. Now, grip the hilt with both hands, right on the top, left on the bottom. You are right handed, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Okay, now, oops, turn the handle ninety degrees, you can't reach the activation switch." She complied and Luke adjusted her elbows to make sure the blade would activate far from her body or his. "Now press the activation stud. It's set right now to shut down if you release the stud, for safety."

Leia did as instructed, giddy with anticipation though she stayed studious and professional. She laid her right thumb across the switch and pressed. The light blue blade shot out of the handle and Leia was startled that there was no sense of motion. She'd expected it to kick on activation like a blaster. Luke stepped back several feet and let her play with the weapon. He knew it wasn't a toy, but she was so pleased. This had been a long time dream of hers, he knew. Though how he knew he wasn't sure.

The princess swung the blade in a slow arch, then slashed the air quickly with it. Luke stepped back up to her, speaking loudly so she wouldn't hit him by mistake. "Now, would you like to learn one of the exercises Ben taught me?"

"Please?" Leia asked with a grin and the pilot grinned right back.

"You do this with the sabre shut off. I would hate for you to slip and decapitate yourself."

Leia balked. "Decapitate?"

"I saw Ben's take an arm off in the blink of an eye. Here, let me show you." Luke took the hilt from her and snatched a rock the size of his fist and twice as long off the ground. He handed it to the Princess. "Throw that up in the air a good distance from you."

Luke stepped back and she complied. The sabre flashed through the air and the stone hit the ground in two pieces. Leia stepped forward to examine the halves.

"Careful they may be hot." he cautioned and Leia nodded, fascinated. She touched a bit of her shirt to the stone and when the material didn't melt, she gently tapped the sides up to the cut edge. The stone was still warm, but cooling rapidly. She picked up one side and ran her fingers over the smooth surface.

"This is amazing! I knew they were fascinating, but this... this is unreal. Then block blaster bolts too then?" She'd heard it said...

"Ben said so. I blocked sting shots from a remote, but that isn't the same."

"No, but even so, why don't all of our soldiers have one? That could be immensely useful. Instant cutting torch, instant shield. Just think of the possibilities"

Luke shook his head violently. "No, Leia. These things are dangerous. Deadly. This is a weapon. And it's a difficult one to use at that. Yes, if all the soldiers carried one some might be able to stop blaster bolts, but most would just end up losing a limb and we'd go broke buying prosthetics."

Realizing the truth in that statement, the princess nodded in agreement. "You are probably right. Don't you worry, when you use it?"

He nodded," All the time. Ben just didn't have time to teach me much."

"You two were close, weren't you?"

"Yes, no. I suppose so. I've known him my whole life, but Uncle Owen didn't approve so I did not know him well. I had only just started to know who he was, and then he died." Luke shrugged helplessly and turned too look into the jungle. "And now there's no one left."

"I understand, Luke. I never knew him, but General Kenobi was a good man and a good friend of my father." Leia rested her left hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. Her other hand held the sabre, deactivated and lowered at her side.

_Leia tugged at his shoulder, trying to turn him around so she could see what he'd done to himself now. She did not think she'd hit him that hard, maybe he'd been holding his wrist wrong... Turning around with a big grin on his face he swiped at her and she ducked just in time, bringing her own blade up to deflect the slash._

_"Hey, that's cheating!"_

"What's cheating, Leia?" Luke asked, concerned at the far-away look in her eyes. She looked as if she might faint, though Luke had never heard of the Princess having a fainting spell. "Leia, what's wrong?"

She closed her eyes and he caught her hand in his, wrapping his other arm around her waist to keep her from falling. In a moment, she was again supporting herself, though she was still unsteady. "I'm alright, I think." She said, eyes still closed. When she opened them, a strange expression crossed her face. "That was... odd."

"What happened, Leia?"

Replaying the image again in her mind, Leia responded. "It was like deja vu, but not really because what I thought happened again hadn't ever happened before. It couldn't have. Does that make any sense?"

"I've heard stranger things. What did you see?"

"You." Shaking her head, Leia said "It's nothing, I'm probably just hungry. C'mon, let's go get lunch."

"Your call." He said, releasing her hand. This time Leia experienced real deja vu when Luke grinned and turned toward the temporary mess. "I'll race you," he called, dashing off.

"Hey, that's cheating!" She called, pausing before she followed. Examining the sabre one more time, she froze. This was the one she'd been holding in her vision. Except, in her vision, the hilt had never been damaged. Both the dent and the repair were non existent. Not willing to think about what that could mean, she raced after Luke, cutting through the command tent and beating him despite his head start.


	3. Part three:

_**Authors note:** I fixed more errors in part two, which were again pointed out by **REV042175**. Unless it is discovered I left out a huge chunk of this orI decide to sponaneously write another part, this will remain as it is now posted, no matter how many mistakes Rene notices. -) (that's a joke, if you couldn't tell) Thank you to Rene and Kazzy, who so far are the only people to review despite the fact that the first part of this got over fifty hits before it even made its wayto the main page. Thanks guys,I appreciate the reviews and I hope this final part lives up to expectations._

Part three

Mara

She held the lightsabre in a tight grip. Unsure why, she felt as if the weapon was giving her strength. Not that she needed it. She wasn't even in any trouble.

The rooftop was windy and Mara Jade let the breeze blow around her. It was a bit cold, but she found that suited her more often than not. Tonight was no exception. Frustration, anger and longing coursed though her and the cold was helping her stay grounded. Ordinarily she had no trouble controlling herself but recently that task had become more difficult.

Despite the cold wind, the sabre felt warm to the touch. It fitted well in her hand,even though it wasa little on the large side. It had, of course, been made to suit the grip of a rather tall man. She sighed at the thought. Who knew one day she'd own Darth Vader's old lightsabre? Yes, it was from a time before he'd been Vader and yes it had changed hands a few times since then. Still, the irony was disconcerting.

The access door swung open and Luke stepped out onto the rooftop. She knew it was him even with her back turned. He was impossibly easy to see in the force.

"What do you want, Skywalker?"

His voice was soft, pleasant. "I just wondered about you."

"I'm fine." The words 'go away' died on her lips. She truly had meant to say them, they just wouldn't come out.

Not having been refused, he joined her at the edge of the building. Oddly unable to tolerate the silence, she asked, "Why."

"Why what?"

"Why did you give this to me?" It was only one of a million questions she had been thinking recently. She held out the sabre to him and he took it from her grasp. She fought a sudden urge to tighten her grip so he couldn't.

He turned the hilt over in his hand thoughtfully. It showed several more scratches now than it used to, though Mara had obviously cleaned and polished the metal. A million thoughts ran through his head as he considered the question. He'd given her a 'why' at the time, but she apparently didn't feel that was the only answer. It wasn't. "I don't know. It seemed like the right thing to do. I haven't regretted it for a moment, so it must not have been too bad a choice."

Mara snorted and he placed the cylinder back on her palm and closed her fingers around it. It was still warm and she shivered involuntarily.

"Are you cold?" His voice showed concern and she shook her head, the annoyed comment she had thought to make dying in her throat.

Turning back to the view, she ignored him for several moments. A question she'd asked herself far too many times recently bubbled to her lips. "What's next?"

"What do you mean?"

_Sith girl, what are you doing?_ She managed not to look startled at her own comment. Recovering from her shock she said, "What did you come up here for?"

"You're leaving again, aren't you?"

"The day after tomorrow." She glanced at him sideways and raised an eyebrow when he didn't continue. "Is that it?"

He shook his head slowly. "No, but I'm not sure I should ask my second question while you're armed."

He managed to keep the grin off his face for a full minute while she just glared at him. "Not funny farmboy. You forget, I'm always armed."

"Alright," he took a deep breath. "I wondered if you would go to dinner with me tomorrow night? I hate eating alone and I... Well, I'd like to see you before you go."

The question was both shocking and expected. Mara didn't know if she was disturbed, angry, or glad. Oddly enough, she was leaning toward glad. The closer she got to that emotion, the warmer the weapon felt. Holding it in front of her, she looked at the metal suspiciously. "Why would you want to see me? I'm the smuggler who wants to kill you."

"I trust you, Mara." The comment was said easily, almost as a jest. She guessed it was, sort of. But he was also sincere, something that might have terrified her if Mara Jade was one who could be frightened.

"I have to give you credit for persistence, Skywalker, but your death wish cancels that out." Her voice was wry and slightly amused.

He didn't respond right away. Instead he stepped closer, as if daring her to make good on her threat. He was now standing at the very edge of the rooftop, only inches from her, though she didn't turn to check his position. "You know, you're not the first one to accuse me of having a death wish."

This was an unexpected turn in the conversation and Mara was not sure how to respond. He was serious, she could hear it in his voice. When she turned to look he was staring straight out. He wasn't looking at her, as she had thought he would be.

"I never have, though. I have never wished for death. Three times I thought I was about to die, but I never wished for it."

His gaze was vacant and she knew he was not seeing the scenery. "The first time was on Hoth. I was lost and injured in the cold and I nearly froze to death."

Mara could not take her gaze off his face. Luke Skywalker had rarely spoken to her of himself. She had rarely felt he needed to. He was so straight-forward - obvious - that she hadn't needed to ask.

"The last time was on the second Death Star, when the Emperor nearly killed me."

That brought back memories she didn't need and she pushed any residual anger as far from her mind as she could. Her voice was almost a whisper when she spoke. "Why are you telling me this?"

His eyes darted to the side and she saw both pain and humor in them. "The second time, was when I lost that lightsabre. That time, I came very close to wishing for death. I had reached the point where I thought _anything_ would be better than where I was, what I was feeling. I was as frightened as a person can be and I almost wished for death."

He turned to look at her now. His eyes were earnest and she hesitated to know why. "But even then, I was not a frightened as I am now."

Mara tried to brush it off. "Relax, I said I wasn't going to kill you, Skywalker."

"I'm frightened because I want to tell you how I feel and I'm afraid you don't, won't, return those feelings. I care about you, Mara, and I want you to know that."

She did not answer at first. She had thought the statement would put her on edge, make her angry. It didn't. Oddly, it left her feeling comfortable. She smiled at him and the expression wasn't forced.

"I can handle dinner tomorrow... Luke."

_End._


End file.
